“A bit? I’m sorry to say, but you two look like a complete mess.” He rasped a chuckle.
“Getting lost in the desert does that to you. But now you can show us the way.”
Marshen grunted as he pushed the wheel, forcing it to unlatch, then kept rotating it until it was back on the road…if you could call it that.
“You’re godsent.” The man sighed. “I’m Feder, by the way.”
“Marshen.”
“Delia.” I nodded his way. “So what is it that you sell?” I asked curiously.
My question seemed to have sparked something within the withered man—it turned him sprightly.
“Well, I’m glad you asked! Come, come, let me show you.” He opened the carriage door and took out a folded piece of leather, which he carefully unfurled, revealing its ornate artefacts.
“Look, Delia, look at this. Marvellous, isn’t it?” he exclaimed. He held a pocket watch from its chain; it swung in front of my face.
“It is. It looks…meticulously crafted.” Not to mention how useful it would be to know the time of day without straining my eyes against the sun.
“Speaking of meticulously crafted…look at this, Delia. Ohh.” Then he urged Marshen, “Look.” He opened its elaborate casing. “Remarkable, isn’t it?” The needle of the compass that he was forcing us to stare directly at pointed north. But he was right, it did look remarkable.
“How much?” I asked.
“Two gold coins for the compass, one for the pocket watch. But for your kindness, I will ask for two gold coins for both. Take the pocket watch as a thank-you gift. I don’t know what I could have done if it weren’t for you two.”
“How about this? I’ll give you four gold coins if you also hand us one of those waterskins over there and give us a ride along to Dunehaven.”
“It’s a done deal, young lady. Care to see the leather journals, or perhaps the silver collection?”
I giggled. “No, I’m all right for now.”
We abandoned Feder the second I spotted the Sunrise Inn. I knew what I wanted to do, or rather, what I needed to do. But before I went in, a stall caught my attention.
“Where are you going?” Marshen asked. I was already halfway across the street.
“Changing our wardrobes. My treat.”
“You mean Aegir’s treat?”
“Do you want new clothes, or would you rather keep smelling like shit?”
“All right, all right. Yeesh. Take a joke, will you.”
We entered the Sunrise Inn, carrying two bags each.
“Good morning, sir,” I said, moving towards the bar. Now that I had a pocket watch, I knew that it was eleven thirty in the morning. “Two rooms, please, for one night.”
The barman studied our dishevelled state with a long look. “With bathing chambers, I presume.”
“Yes…with bathing chambers.”
“Well, that will cost you two gold coins.”
“I’m sure we can share one room,” Marshen cut in.
“No.” I knew very well how thin the curtains were in this inn. I craved some privacy; it was worth an additional gold coin.
“Very well, lady,” he said, handing me two keys.
